Process of agitating hides or leather scraps



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

- -0. W. COOPER.

PROCESS OF AGITATING'HIDES 0R LEATHER SGRAPS.

No. 400,441.. Patent-ed Apr. 2, 1889.

WITNjSES/i IN/YENTOR! @w/rfm 2 Sheet-Sheet 2. C. W. COOPER. PROCESS OF AGITATING HIDES 0R LEATHER SGRAPS.

(No Model.)

NO. 400,441. Patented Apr. 2, 1889.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES WV. COOPER, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

PROCESS OF AGITATING HIDES OR LEATHER SCRAPS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 400,441, dated April 2, 1889.

Application filed July 6, 1888. Serial No. 279,197. (No model.)

Method of Treating I-Iides, Skins, or Scraps,

in Liquids, of which the following is a specification.

In the manufacture of leather from hides, or of glue from skins or scraps, it is frequently necessary to treat said hides, skins, or scraps in a bath of water, or other liquid, either for the purpose of removing dirt and impurities therefrom, or for the purpose of chemically treating the said articles. In the washing op erations referred to, or in the chemical treatment of the said hides, skins, or scraps, it is generally desirable to constantly or occasionally agitate the water, or other liquid, in which they are contained, and stir the mass, so as to occasion the presentation of every part of the hide, and of every piece of the skins or scraps treated, to the action of the bath or to the chemicals therein contained or to the action of a gas forced into the said bath, and it is also desirable, in processes for the washing of, or the removal of impurities from, hides, skins, or scraps, to cause every part of the surface of each of said articles to come into contact with other pieces of the mass in order that the impurities on their surfaces may be mechanically removed thereby. "Heretofore in the washing and chemical operations incident to the treatment of hides, skins or scraps, various mechanical devices have been employed to agitate the mass, but most of these devices have been open to the objection that they have involved the use of complicated, heavy and expensive apparatus, and the use of costly machinery for the transmission of the necessary power.

The object of my invention is to provide a method by which hides, skins, or scraps, in a bath of water or other liquid, may, forthe purposes above described, be thoroughly, conveniently and cheaply treated, and, generally stated, it consists in intermittently feeding air, or suitable gas, into and at or near the bottom of, a vessel containing the material to be treated in such manner that the mass of material undergoing treatment, together with the liquid employed, is forced into D between the bottoms, of the tanks.

' the upper part of the containing vessel and said water or liquid in said containing vessel caused to flow or circulate from the upper part of said vessel by a passage impassable to the material treated, to the lower part thereof and under the hides or scraps therein, said hides or scraps, in the intervals between the forcing of air or gas into said vessel being permitted by gravity to fall to the bottom thereof.

Apparatus by the use of which my method may be practiced is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is an elevation partly in section of an apparatus by which my method may be practiced with convenience and efficiency. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of a modified form of apparatus. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of a modified form of apparatus. Fig. 4 is a central sectional elevation of still another modified form of apparatus. Fig. 5 is a detail elevation of devices adapted to feed air or gas to a number of containing tanks or vessels. Fig. 6 is a detail view of a system of air or gas pipes suitable for employment in connection with the apparatus shown in the drawings.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

In the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, A is a containing vessel or the inner vessel of the apparatus, shown as a cylindrical tank, provided with a slatted or perforated bottom B, and with liquid escape openings 0. at or near its top. The liquid escape openings, as well as the openings in the slatted bottom, are of such size as to prevent the escape of the hides skins or scraps treated and to only permit of bottom, surrounds and incloses the inner tank. The relative size of each of the tanks is such that an annular .space 0 of a given area is formed between the walls, and a space The tank A is supported within the tank A in any preferred manner, conveniently by being superimposed upon trusses or supporting bars E extending across the interior of the tank A near the bottom thereof. Q is a pipe leading from any desired source of liquid supply the escape of the liquid in which they are conand discharging into the tank A. X isa cock by which the liquid contents of the tanks -n1ay be drawn oif.

F is an air or gas pipe entering the tank A at or near the bottom thereof, extending nearly across the same, and provided with a system of transverse, or other, branch pipes f which lie beneath and within a space coextensive and coincident with the perforated bottom of the tank A, and are provided with a number of escape orifices f.

G is an air or gas force pump from which the pipe F leads.

H is a valve, with the stem h of which is engaged a lever-arm II provided with a counter weight h I is a driven toothed wheel and I is a driving toothed wheel, both supported in any suitable manner and in engagement with each other. i is a pin or stud projecting from the side of the wheel I and of sufficient length to, in the rotation of said wheel, encounter the valve lever H", and,by elevating the same open the valve H. \Vhen the pin 2' travels away from thelever II the weight 72 causes it to descend and close the valve II. Many other devices for automatically opening and closing the valve at stated intervals might be resorted to without departing from my invention. K is a reservoir suitably supported in any convenient manner, and in communication with the pipe F at a point between the pump G and the valve II.

The operation of the apparatus in the practice of my method will be readily understood.

The tank A is about half filled with the hides, skins, or scraps to be treated, the tank A is filled to the proper level with water or other liquid. The valve H being open, and the engine G being put into operation, air or gas, as the case may be, is forced through the the pipe F and its branches f, and escapes at the outlet orifices f, rises through the slatted bottom of the tank A, mingles with the liquids and articles undergoing treatment, and lesscns'the specific gravity of the whole, with the result that the contents of the tank A rise, and as one part after another of the mass reaches the surface the air or gas is freed therefrom and the liquid, which thereupon resumes its normal specific gravity, escapes through the outlets, a into the space 0, gravitates to the bottom of the tank, rises through the slatted bottom B and again enters the tank A. The valve operating wheel I is so timed as to, after such time has elapsed as is necessary to allow of all of the material undergoing treatment to rise toward the upper part of the tank A, allow said valve to close, the air or gas from the pump will thereupon be forced into and accumulate in the reservoir K. The cessation of the supply of air or gas to the tank A permits the hides or scraps to sink through the liquid contained therein, and, after the lapse of a period of time necessary for such operation, the wheel I again opens the valve ll, and air or gas from the pump G and also from the reservoir K, will be again forced into the tank A and under the mass, the operation described will be repeated as often as the nature of the material operated upon may require.

It is obvious that many constructions of apparatus, characterized by diversity of form but by unity of principle, might be devised to carry out my method. Thus, forinstance, in Fig. 2 I have shown the inner tank A rectangular and so constructed within the tank A that the side and end of the latter serve as the side and end of the former, the liquid escape outlets a being formed in but one side of the vessel A;-they may however if desired be formed in the end of said vessel.

Fig. 3 of the drawings illustrates a square exterior tank A within which the interior tank A is shown as mounted upon pedestals a and as provided with the usual slatted bottom B, and also with a slatted roof or lid L in lieu of the escape outlets a of Fig. 1.

In .Fig. 4 of the drawings is shown a form of apparatus embodying a conical exterior tank, and a conical interior tank the upper end of which fits within and is secured to the upper end of the outer tank. The bottom and sides of the inner tank are slatted so that the liquid escape outlets extend from its top to its bottom. In the apparatus shown in Fig. 4 the hides or skins to be treated, and liquid, having been placed therein, and gas or air being forced into the bottom of the tank through the perforated pipes, which, it is to be remembered, cover only an area coexten- "sive with the slatted bottom of said tank,

rises vertically within that portion of the tank included between the dotted lines a b and 0 (Z shown in said figure and causes the ascent of the mass undergoing treatment, the air or gas is freed on reaching the surface of the tank, whereupon the liquid flows toward that part of the tank exterior to the part contained be tween said dotted lines, returns to the bottom of the tank, and re-enters the slatted tank at a point below the material undergoing treatment.

In Fig. 5 is shown a series of pipes and valves, three in number, intended to direct air or gas from the pump successively to three independent tanks, so that after the mass in one tank has been elevated by the entrance of gas from the engine and while it is subsiding, the air or gas can in the interim be forced into another tank or vessel. The valves are operated by the hand wheels M. It is to be understood that while in the claims I refer to the introduction of air to the mass contained in a tank to elevate it,the word is not to be understood in a literal sense but is to be taken as signifying not only air, but gases of any character.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. The method of agitating or treating hides in liquids, which consists in treating said hides in a receptacle through the sides and IIO bottom of which the liquid has egress and ingress respectively, by alternately elevating said hides therein by the introduction of gaseous fluid beneath them and permitting them to sink by the action of gravity, as specified.

2. The method herein described of agitating hides and liquids contained in a vat, which consists in alternately causing said hides to rise therein by means of a current of air entering the bottom of said vat beneath them, and by the cessation of such current of air permitting them to descend by gravity, substantially as set forth.

3. The method herein described of agitat ing hides and liquids contained in a vat, which consists in inducing an upward current of CHAS. W. COOPER.

In presence of- W. H. WooDHuLL, AUGUST HEINE. 

